The wife of a Suffolk tourist who suffered a collapsed lung during a family holiday to Cape Verde has revealed it is a relief to have him back in the UK after he was flown home by air ambulance.

Pete Mazur, from Walton in Felixstowe, arrived back on Wednesday afternoon and is now being treated at Ipswich Hospital following his ordeal on the Atlantic island last week.

Mrs Mazur said: “It is wonderful to be back in Britain and Pete is getting fantastic treatment at Ipswich Hospital. The doctors and nurses are brilliant.

“It was difficult in Cape Verde – but now were back here Pete should hopefully start making good progress and we hope he will soon be able to come home to get fully recovered.”

The saga unfolded when Mr Mazur was taken ill on April 10 during his holiday with wife Becky and son Ollie, five.

The family were initially unable to get the help they felt they needed from Post Office Travel Insurance which was covering their holiday.

It took Mrs Mazur several days of making phone calls and sending emails to get a final decision from their insurers – although Post Office Travel Insurance did reassure the clinic where Mr Mazur was being treated that all medical bills would be met.

A team of medics arrived in Cape Verde on Tuesday and went to the clinic where Mr Mazur was being treated. He was assessed and they decided he would be fit enough to be flown back to the UK in their air ambulance the following day.

Mr Mazur arrived back at Stansted Airport at 5.30pm on Wednesday and was taken straight to Ipswich Hospitalto be treated for a collapsed lung.

Mrs Mazur said the team that flew them back had been very good with the whole family, even arranging for Ollie to look at the front of the plane. She said: “It was really nice of them, but I think Ollie was just a bit overawed by it all – and worried about his dad who was lying there with an oxygen mask on.”

Cape Verde, a former Portuguese colony off the coast of Senegal, has become an increasingly popular holiday destination over recent years with attractions including unspoilt beaches and a mix of cultures that is attracting more and more visitors from the UK and elsewhere in Europe.

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